Yes, I just uttered the phrase, take cover! For the majority of the world who knows a thing about the decade of 80’s fashion, there is not much to be proud of. As I type, Madonna keeps popping into my head with her leggings worn under a tutu, with heels, fingerless gloves, a denim jacket! This sounds like a classic outfit for anyone who grew up in the 80s. Unfortunately I was born at the end of this magnificent decade. I said magnificent because although most of the fashion choices were atrocious, it was still a great time for experimentation! Something you all know I am a fan of ;) There were no rules! The more outrageous the outfit, the better! The more mismatched, the more accessorized........ YEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!
I realized this back in December….
I was at the airport, about to fly to Texas, and I saw a few girls, probably 19 or so; naturally I observed their outfit. My thought process was swimming. I started thinking about where fashion is taking a turn.
You look at your average 18 year old girl. Being from California means your pretty ahead of the wave, not particularly in fashion, but for the most part. I started to think about Forever 21; how many clothes they churn out! In case you didn’t notice, they are like a department store now! And everything is cheap, it doesn’t fit very well, and everyone buys it! Sadly I think Forever 21 is creating a generation of kids that have no appreciation for fashion. H&M is right behind them. They’ve created for the masses. These girls looked like they had just walked out of Forever 21.
When I was in High School, my bestie and I used to call them “Hot Topics” to indicate that they looked like they had just walked out of Hot Topic. That is exactly what we have here.
Now it seems everyone is so on top of the trends, that something unique is impossible to emerge. Designer labels like Marc Jacobs and Prada are being worn by girls younger than me and the styles are being quickly converted for the masses, and sold at Forever 21 and H&M. The 80s came in when I started thinking that we are in another period of excess. More is better! More outrageous is better! These girls looked like they had just walked out of a Forever 21 ad, and the way they were dressed, reminded me of the 80s: the way everything was piled on and layered.
Does anyone else have any thoughts on these observations?
Fashion has hit a plateau it seems. I’m trying to formulate a conclusion to this, but “unique” has become generic; unique is trendy. That to me is what the 80s did to fashion.
A little more on excess..... Street Style! Everyone and their mother is hell bent on capturing street style and what "they" think is fashionable. Guess what, you are all capturing the same damn thing!
ReplyDeleteOkay. Wait. I buy most of my clothes from Hot Topic and Forever 21. I'm not taking offense, I just wonder if the girls you see are just lacking ability to put together an outfit? Versus it being the department stores that's the problem....
ReplyDeleteDoes that make sense? I'm the first to criticize Hot Topic and their current clothing line of Twilight and Hello Kitty crap. But overall, their dresses, pants and band T-shirt's rock.
Shit Brit, I didn't realize that you were taking a direct hit on that one. Your style is one of a kind. It suits you and that's something I admire. The girls I am talking about are the ones lacking any sense of what they are wearing. I refer to the ones that just looked at one of the mannequins for Forever 21 and bought everything they saw down to the gold bangles. I shop at Forever 21 too, but you and I search for what we want and shop there because it is cheap :) But we combine their pieces with our own flair.
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